Manchester Tart

Ahhhh, the Manchester Tart. A staple of old British school dinners and a recipe which seems to undergo adaptations depending on who is cooking (or eating) it.

The main premise is this: it’s a shortcrust pastry case spread with raspberry jam and a sprinkling of coconut, then filled with a thick vanilla custard and a final sprinkling of yet more coconut. If you buy it in a bakery you’ll likely get a glace cherry on the top, and if you order it in a gastro restaurant then you could be blessed with a layer of fresh raspberries underneath a handmade crème patisserie. Oh, and some people (mainly Mancunians) like to add a layer of sliced bananas to the mix, just to make things even more muddled.

But at its heart it’s a slightly childlike, nostalgic pud that pleases everyone. And it even has a long history – dating back to the Victorian era, when Mrs Beeton was telling people to make it with a meringue topping, much like a Queen’s Pudding. 

I thought it pertinent to make a Manchester Tart recipe given the recent events that have put my home city on the world stage (albeit for terrible reasons) as a sort of tribute. This tart is much like Manchester itself: fun, never taken seriously, guaranteed to put a smile on your face and always full of surprises. You can find the recipe below.

Oldham Food Festival

While I’ve got you here, and while we’re discussing Manchester culinary delights, I thought I’d let you know about a festival happening in Oldham this weekend. It’s called Eats from the Streets and will be happening at Elk Mill Shopping Centre this weekend (24th and 25th June). 

The festival will be bringing together a host of artisan food trucks serving cuisines from around the world, including loaded American hot dogs, sweet & savoury samosas, Thai noodles dishes and jam jar cocktails.

The festival was created last year and after much success is returning in 2017 – and bringing its converted double-decker Routemaster bus with it. Diners can still aboard the bus and tuck into international culinary delights in style!

Anyway, I’ll be popping down to see what the festival is all about and I hope you will too!

Manchester Tart

Recipe by Julia

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Ingredients

• 1 sheet ready-made shortcrust pastry (320g / 11oz)

• 3 1/2 tbsp raspberry jam

• 3 tbsp custard powder

• 1 pint (2 cups) milk

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 2 tbsp caster sugar

• 5 tbsp desiccated coconut, divided

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 200C / 400F.
• Roll out the pastry and use it to line a 24cm tart dish or round baking tray. Prick the base with a fork several times, then cover with a piece of parchment paper and some baking beans. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, then remove the beans and the paper and set aside to cool.
• Meanwhile, place the milk, custard powder, sugar and vanilla extract into a saucepan and heat until thickened, stirring occasionally to ensure the custard doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Once the custard is nice and thick, remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
• Spread the raspberry jam over the base of the pastry case, then sprinkle over 2 tbsp coconut. Top with the custard, ensuring the top is smooth and level, then place into the fridge to set (this should only take around an hour).
• When you are ready to serve, place the remaining coconut into a dry frying pan and toast on a low heat until lightly brown. Sprinkle the toasted coconut over the top of the tart and cut into slices.

Notes

• For a traditional look, top the tart with a single glace cherry placed in the middle centre. Alternatively, pop a small cluster of fresh raspberries in the centre and drizzle the tart with a little of the jam, loosened with a little water and melted in a pan over a low heat.